The Amsterdam city council has approved the draft amendment plan ‘Windenergie Sloterdijk III’. With this, the locations and safety zones of the four wind turbines of the wind farm Westpoortweg in the Westpoort port area are now also laid down in the zoning plan.
The wind turbines of Westpoortweg Wind Farm are planned on the site of the regional Public Water Authority Amstel, Gooi en Vecht. The development of the wind farm began even before the Regional Energy Strategy (RES) was drawn up. The first permit application was made in 2016, but provincial rules not allowed placement at that time.
After the provincial rules for wind energy were expanded, the water authority submitted another permit application in 2020. In 2021, the province of Noord-Holland issued the permits.
Energy-neutral water authority
The regional water authority has the ambition of being energy-neutral. In order to achieve this, it has, among other things, realised a green gas installation and installed more than 24,000 solar panels. To have its operations become completely energy-neutral and preferably energy-positive, the water authority also investigated the possibilities of realising wind energy, also on the site of the sewage treatment plant in Amsterdam-West. These wind turbines will cover approximately 40% of the water board’s total electricity needs.
The water authority is currently working on the (technical) details of the wind turbines, examining whether it is possible to install four wind turbines on the basis that the operation of the treatment plant will not be affected. If that does not work out, there will be three. The water authority expects to take a decision on the construction of the wind farm at the end of this year so that it can be fully energy-neutral in about two years’ time.
The draft amendment plan is still open for inspection so that interested parties can respond.
Alderman Marieke van Doorninck (Spatial Development and Sustainability): “I am pleased that the water authority is proceeding with such haste. These wind turbines in the port will make a substantial contribution to Amsterdam’s energy transition and are an important step towards a sustainable energy supply in Amsterdam.”
Search areas wind Amsterdam
In 2021, the municipal council established search areas for wind energy in order to place approximately 17 additional wind turbines within the municipal boundaries. The plans, together with the ambition to place 400 MW of solar panels on large roofs, are part of the RES. In this way, Amsterdam is fulfilling the agreements made in the national Climate Agreement. The development of Westpoort Wind Farm started before the RES was adopted and is therefore not included in the current reflection phase. Source: Amsterdam.nl
